This is a big topic, so it will take two class periods to cover.

Print a copy of each of the following for each student:

• Intro to Ground School: 6-7 Meteorology
• Cloud Chart
• Meteorology pages

And, if you are teaching a class, print the following for yourself:  Meteorology Notes

DISCUSSION:

Quick intro:  Weather on the ground vs. Weather in the air (flying)…

• On the ground, what do we care about when it comes to weather?
• When we’re flying, what do we care about?
  • VFR:
    • Visibility
    • Clouds (remain clear of them!)
    • Icing
    • Wind
    • Runway surface
    • Pressure
  • IFR:
    • Visibility (only for T/O & Landing)
    • Clouds (stormy or lenticular)
    • Icing (at the surface or sustained)
    • Wind (depends on plane)
    • Runway surface
    • Pressure

ATMOSPHERE

*** Diagrams***

• Atmospheric pressure:  What is it?  (caused by weight of air above you)
• High Pressure (above 29.92):  Associated with “good weather”
  • Stable air
  • Cool, dense, dry air
  • Increased performance
  • ** Look out for fog, decreased visibility, icing **
• Low Pressure (below 29.92):  Associated with “bad weather”
  • Unstable air
  • Warm updrafts
  • Decreased performance
  • Humidity

WHAT CREATES WEATHER?

• MOVING AIR
• MOISTURE

WHAT MAKES AIR MOVE?

• Changes in temperature
• ** Diagram:  Sun, Earth, 45% absorbed, 55% reflected**
• WHAT AFFECTS AMOUNT OF TEMPERATURE CHANGE?
  • Day/Night
  • Latitude
  • Water/Land
  • City/Rural (dirt, concrete, glass)
  • Season
  • Altitude
• WIND
  • A change in temperature leads to a change in pressure
  • A never-ending attempt to produce equilibrium = WIND!
    • TRANSPORTS WATER VAPOR
    • SPREADS FOG, CLOUDS, PRECIPITATION

WARM AIR (heated surface):

• Expands and rises
• Becomes lighter
• Becomes less dense

COOL AIR:

• Compresses and sinks
• Becomes heavier
• Becomes more dense

Think of oil and water:

• Warm air wants to rise to the top because it’s less dense (like oil)
• Cool air wants to sink to the bottom because it’s more dense (like water)

** Moving air diagrams **

• Rising air is conducive to cloudiness & precipitation
• Descending air dissipates clouds

STABLE vs. UNSTABLE air

• Stratiform:  Strata:  Sheet-like, horizontal
• Cumuliform:  Cumulus:  Heap

CLOUDS

• Cirrus
  • Usually indicates weather in a couple of days
• Cumulus
  • Bumpy flight
  • Might get wet
• Gray cumulus
  • Precipitation
• Stratus
  • May be visibility problems
  • May stick around for a while
  • Smooth flight
  • Icing risk!

ICING

• Rime
• Clear
• Mixed

THUNDERSTORMS

• Cumulus
• Mature
• Dissipating

**PAGE 111! **